April 1654: made peace with the Dutch. English merchants recieved compensation and England got an island in the East Indies

Good for international trage (spice trade) and prestige

The Western design: aimed at capturing Spanish territory in the Caribbean (Pandered to Puritan prejudices against Spain)

total failure/ Caused a crisis in confidence for Cromwell

Support for protestants in Piedmont: spreading the forces of puritanism and fighting international catholicism

1655-57: War with Spain- cost a lot of money but was a military success. The English obtained control of Dunkirk

Political Stability

British Policy: Charles Fleetwood appointed Deputy of Ireland (but conflict between army and Irish, and cost a lot. Henry Cromwell 1655-8: transfer of land to protestants, but no attempt to convert catholics

Scotland: no attempt to convert presbyterians. Scotland had a lot of freedom

Humble Petition: gained civilian support but lost armys? Arguably, this constitution was set up so that the only person who could balance was Cromwell

deep financial crisis

Godly Reform

He passed several ordinances for a 'reformation of manners'

reformed the chancery court to make it more accessible

passed laws for the relief of prisoners and other very poor people

was generally not harsh with enforcement

major generals differed in enforcement levels

there was some opposition: people liked church festivals, sports etc

Religious Reform

Cromwell managed to create a settlement that was more tolerant of sects

However he came up against zealous enforcers

Case of Nayler

Ejectors: made sure ministers were godly and obeyed the basic puritan doctrines

Cromwell's 'Personal Rule'

March: Royalist Rebellion

Rule of the Major Generals

Second Protectorate Parliament (Sept 1656)

Humble Petition and Advice

Offered in March 1657: meant to signify a return to civilian rule

Returned the House of Lords

Parliament had to approve all tacess: no garuantee of funding for the Army

Added more ritual and a Succession

offer of the Crown

Cromwell acccepted the petition but he refused the Crown (due to pressure from the army?)

expenditure was outrunning income by £230 000/yr

Spanish War

very few army candidates won the elections

the council of State excluded 100 MPs

originally more successful: Spanish War was popular

Case of James Nayler: a Quaker whipped and branded for blasphemy. Convinced Cromwell that the Instrument had to be modified to check the Commons' judicial power

Jan 1657: Commons rejected Major generals Decimation Bill

divided England and Wales into 11 military districts, each giverned by a major-generl

meant to continue godly reformation and reform local government

But the major generals were generally of lower social class than JPs

Army enforced laws on the reformation of Manners and helped the Ejectors

unpopular

seen as minority military rule

expensive: Cromwell tried to pay for it by a decimation tax on Royalist estates- but this didn't raise enoughmoey

July: Western Design failed

Cromwell was alarmed that God seemed to have abandoned the Good Old Cause